Business & Personal Finance

Human Resources help for your small business

If your business has more than yourself as an employee, then chances are good that you have had to deal with the managing people part of running a business.  The good news is there are many resources at the library to help you with this task. 

There are a few sources that you might not be familiar with which might save you some time and money down the road.  Check out a few of these loose-leaf titles.  Loose-leaf, in this case, means that the manual is sent to the library in a binder to allow for frequent updating of the content.

 

Human Resources Advisor for Ontario Employers

The Human Resources Advisor is written in plain-language to provide information employers need to understand and covers how to comply with government standards. This source will help you deal with virtually any HR and payroll issue at hand. It is written with the law in mind, and its content is reviewed by lawyers.  The HR Advisor provides small-to-medium-size businesses with guidance on payroll and employment law.

Canadian Business Management Manual

This CCH publication covers just about every area that can affect a business.  This manual is designed for managers  of a large or small organization or a particular area of a business. It provides easy-to-read information on a wide range of business and human resources issues, along with examples, checklists, and procedures.

Wrongful Dismissal Practice Manual

A comprehensive  reference source on the law of wrongful dismissal. Topics included in this manual are as diverse as the subject itself: termination of employment , express termination, notice requirements, resignation,  what does and does not constitute constructive dismissal,  what does and does not constitute  “just cause”, termination agreements and severance packages.

Canadian Employment Safety and Health Guide

Stay up-to-date on all the latest health and safety information. This guide includes the background and context that will enable you to understand health and safety regulations.  It includes employers and workers' duties and responsibilities  and covers occupational health topics such as drug testing, fragrances in the workplace, stress management, ergonomics and workplace design.

Have a look at these and other resources available at the library.

 

 

Hiring the best people for your small business

If your small business has suddenly become too much for you to handle on your own, maybe it's time to hire some talented and quality employees that will help you continue to grow your business.  Doing a bit of research before hiring your new employees will prevent a lot of stress and frustration down the road. Harvard Business Essentials guide Hiring and Keeping the Best People presents a series of logical steps that will get you started on the hiring and maintaining a loyal and productive workforce:

1. Clearly define the job requirements that will attract the best people.

2. If necessary, use online recruiting or professional recruiters.

3. You may need to compete to attract the best employees and then use incentives to keep them working for you.

4. Develop your talented staff by creating strategies for training and development

5. Create an equitable and understanding workplace by providing a work-life balance to prevent employee burnout.

6. Despite all your efforts you will still lose some of your best employees. Maintain a productive relationship with your former employees especially if they've moved on in the same field.  They can lead you to new business, send you new employees or even provide you with market intelligence.

To hire and retain a terrific workforce take a look at these books:

 

 

Don't Like Delegating? Read On!

Are you a manager who has problems delegating work to employees? You are not alone. The library has many books which address this important topic. Here are a couple.

 

Marc Durio, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Boosting Employee Performance (chapter 19), outlines excuses that prevent managers from delegating, and looks at them in a logical light. I've paraphrased a few examples below:

"It's easier to do it myself rather than take the time to teach someone else to do it".

• But if you do take the time you need to train the employee, your time will eventually be freed up to do all the other tasks you have to do.

"What if my employees fail at the task I've given them?"

• There's no guarantee that you wouldn't have made mistakes as well. If you properly train, coach, and review performance, there is little likelihood of failure.

"I'll lose control over my business"

• To keep on top of things, remember to check in regularly with your employee, and provide feedback.

Harvard Business Press has published a book as part of their Pocket Mentor series, entitled Delegating Work. It has a very good section about how to delegate effectively. Some of their suggestions include:

• Delegate interesting work - not just tedious tasks.
• Delegate entire projects, not just small parts of them. This can increase a sense of ownership and motivation and commitment.
• Delegate high-visibility tasks that will allow the employee and their work to be noticed by high-level managers within your organization, thus enhancing their career prospects.

Check the Toronto Public Library's catalogue for more books like this. Many books on leadership also include sections on delegation.

About.com has a great little article called The Top 7 Steps For Effective Delegation. There are many other articles on delegation that can be linked to from this one. Take some time to read them all!  

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." --General George Smith Patton, Jr

 

Playing nice at work

 Let's face it, we've all had to work with people we just can't along with but, take comfort, you are not alone.  We don't live in a perfect world so office politics is something all of us will need to deal with at one time or another. According to Vicky Oliver, author of Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots, things such as dealing with targets, deadlines, responsibility, pressure and other work-related stresses can strip away the veneer of gentility and make our bosses, colleagues and underlings snap at the most minor provocation.

So is there a secret to getting along with everyone? The best way to deal with these problems, says Oliver, is to not take anything personally. Try to rise above what you perceived to be an insult but was actually a joke. Congratulate a rival for being promoted over you.  Forgive a co-worker that went behind your back to consult with your supervisor. Another way to deal with office politics is to accept the fact that people are flawed. You can ignore these flaws or try to deal with them in some way.  You, too, will need to learn how to accept criticism by being brutally honest with yourself.  If you become less sensitive to the criticisms of others perhaps you will become more sensitive in the way you deliver criticism.

Before considering  leaving your job because your coworkers are driving you crazy, take a look at some of these helpful books: